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emilyplaysotome · 7 years ago

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Part 50 - An Ending

Down the Voltage Rabbit Hole is an ongoing story about our MC, who could easily be anyone in voltage fandom. She woke up in hospital bed only to discover that she’d somehow been transported Voltage universe.

This is the last chapter, so please use the link to the masterpost below to read from the start:

http://emilyplaysotome.tumblr.com/post/159383977157/down-the-voltage-rabbit-hole-master-post

Part 50 - An Ending

I made us all some tea with the hope that should Leon still have his powers, the time spent in this world would dull them. I was concerned that he’d take us back against our will, seeing as how he’d come on a mission from the king and had always been difficult to reason with.

Seeing him and Zyglavis together made me realize how much happier Zyg appeared these days, and as I went about my business preparing the tea, I couldn’t help but smile at how much I’d seen him change during our time together.

Back in the otome world, he always seemed to be bogged down with his responsibilities as Chief Minister of Punishments.

However since he’d changed careers and left his life as a God behind him, he suddenly had an ample amount of free time outside of work, and we found ourselves spending the bulk of our down time together. In this world, I was the one who would occasionally bring work home and when that happened, he would step out of the apartment and visit a local bartender he’d befriended in our neighborhood.

Outside of Ricky (the bartender), he’d also made a handful of friends at work, and for the first time in his life it appeared that his friendships revolved around shared interests and not status.

During the past few months, he’d opened up about his life in the Heavens and admitted to having internalized much of the frustration that came with being a God in a position of power. He’d felt that Gods and Goddesses often approached him for the wrong reasons (putting his prestige over who he was as an individual), and told me that for the first time in his life he felt free.

In the Heavens, Chief Minister Zyglavis was known as a serious, anti-social sort of man, which he claimed was a byproduct of spending the past several hundred years around social climbers. With a smile he’d noted that he liked how humans got to know him as simply “Zyg” and nothing more.

The frustration and trepidation he once felt upon being approached was no longer there. The people in my world didn’t see him as an all powerful God - they just saw him as a guy who loved chocolate, books, science, and all of his other random interests.

Considering the fact that I loved him for who he was, it made me happy to see him fitting into this world without any problems.

I’d lost sight of how uptight he’d been back in the otome world, but as he sat next to Leon the memories of his old persona as a stuffy, quickly irritable, and stoic God returned. Seeing him in that defensive posture for the first time in months hurt my heart, and I silently vowed to do everything in my power to resolve this situation as quickly as I could.

For the most part, Leon chided Zyglavis for not attempting to return after the king had made it clear that he had not intended for Zyglavis to go with me. Zyg, as he always did, had a short fuse around Leon and argued that shortly after arriving in this world, he’d lost his powers and that there was nothing he could do from that point on.

“You can’t possibly be happier here,” Leon said as I set the tea down before them. “This hovel of an apartment is far too small for two people, let alone a God of your stature.”

“I don’t care about my status,” Zyglavis said. “This is my home and I would appreciate you not being so rude.”

Leon laughed heartily, and as I sat to join them I attempted to break the tension by asking, “If the king wanted us to return, why did he wait so long send you here?”

“Truthfully he was going to be magnanimous and let it go, but as time went on our world began to fall into chaos.”

“How so?”

Leon sighed, and with the snap of his fingers my living room turned into a theater of sorts. Zyglavis and I were shown several scenes in which Jin and Soryu were introduced to their proper MC but failed to move on.

“I’m sorry but my heart belongs to someone else,” they’d each said to the girl who stood in front of them. “She’s different. No one can replace her and I just can’t stop wishing that we’ll be together one day...”

Leon snapped his feelings and I felt a few of those old feelings come racing back. With that said, I tried to keep my cool upon seeing Zyglavis’ irritated expression, clearly displeased by having my exes paraded around in front of him.

“They’re not the only ones,” Leon said. “I can’t explain it, but they won’t stop wishing. Not only do I still have a headache, but the energy in our world...something is off. The balance that was once there is broken and we need you to fix it.”

“I don’t know how though…”

Leon glared at me and snapped, “You managed to get yourself and him home - I think you can put the same effort into making things right.”

“I’d appreciate it if you would not speak to my fiancé that way,” Zyglavis said harshly.

“As far as I’m concerned you’re just as culpable Minister Ponytail.”

Zyglavis scoffed, “I can’t expect you to understand, seeing as how you don’t love anyone other than yourself.”

“Says the man who needed my help in physically expressing it…”

"I forgot how arrogant you are!"

"And I forgot how uptight you are! It's a wonder you managed to find yourself a woman."

"Why you!"

“Guys!” I yelled, breaking up the escalating argument.

“I’m sorry my love...I got carried away.”

Leon scoffed at Zyglavis’ words, and Zyg ignored him, putting his arm around me protectively.

“Leon, you’re not taking her from me. And we’re not going back. I’m sorry but that’s final. Just wipe their memory and things should be fine.”

“You really don’t understand a thing, do you?”

Leon glared at us both and snapped his fingers. What happened after that moment, was something I was truly unprepared for.

Toshizo Hijikata stood in my living room, looking incredibly confused, filling my studio apartment with that earthy smell of his.

Upon seeing me his eyes widened, and he smiled at me in a way that made it clear he remembered it all as vividly as I had. He came towards me, unconcerned that Zyglavis had his arm around me and pulled me up from the couch and into his arms.

“I thought I’d lost you…”

A lump formed in my throat as I remembered our last moments together before Leon had plucked me out of the Bakumatsu period and placed me back in modern day Tokyo.

“You...remember me?”

“How could I ever forget?”

“I’m sorry I just left you like that.”

Before Hijikata could say anything else, I felt Zyglavis pull me out of his embrace and with a possessive glare demanded that Leon to send him back. Leon snapped his fingers and I felt myself reach out towards the spot where Hijikata once stood. I’d done it on impulse and quickly saw that the action had caused a hurt look to form on Zyglavis’ face.

“Naomi…”

“I’m sorry, I just…”

“Do you understand now, Minister Ponytail? They do not forget her.”

Leon stayed with us late into the night arguing with Zyglavis over what should be done, and I found myself preparing the groceries I’d bought for the three of us. Being in our world was beginning to take its toll on Leon, and he found himself feeling hungry for the first time in his life.

“How is it?” I asked Leon, who tentatively took a bite of pasta dish I’d made.

Upon realizing he’d be joining us, I quickly ran out and grabbed some pre-made chicken meatballs which I figured would help stretch my groceries from a dinner for two to a dinner for three. Seeing as how I knew they were Leon’s favorite, I figured that making them might help him relax, allowing us to enjoy a peaceful meal together.

“Not bad.”

“There’s plenty more if you want seconds.”

“Mmm.”

“If his highness is so worried, why doesn’t he just use his own powers?” Zyglavis asked, unconcerned with pleasantries and clearly wanting Leon out of our hair as soon as possible.

“I can’t say. He’s tasked me with this and demanded that I bring you back or not return.”

“What do you mean...not return?” I quietly asked.

Leon took a out rumpled social security card, in addition to an ID and Passport, and tossed them on the table.

“Exactly that. He sent me here with these papers, a lifetime supply of money, and told me that if I cannot convince you to return, my penance will be living as a human until the Goldfish’s demise. At that point I figure he’ll come for both of us and...it won’t be pretty.”

Zyglavis sighed with recognition and muttered, “That man does love his games.”

“I suppose the only silver lining of this shitty situation is that ever since I came to this world my head has been freed from those damned wishes!”

Leon scoffed and continued to wolf down his food, soon holding his plate out towards me and demanding seconds. I fetched him another helping and upon returning to the table, Zyglavis encouraged me to show Leon the games on my phone.

Even though there was a tangible animosity between the two of them, Zyglavis knew how difficult the king could be as much as anyone, and felt that we owed it to Leon to paint the full picture as far as what was really going on.

At first he was resistant towards the idea that the world he left was an offshoot of something created in this one, and to say that Leon was humbled upon seeing his own route in Star Crossed Myth would be the understatement of the century. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, the truth became obvious to him after seeing he was “offline” considering the fact that he was here.

He requested that I show him all the apps that had been riddled with bugs since my return, and he soon let me know that every man who was offline had been one to fill his head with wishes.

“Before you came here,” I noted. “Zyglavis was a selectable character in these games. But now...he’s gone.”

I pulled up the Voltage Facebook page and showed Leon a public post, explaining that they were having a hard time fixing the problematic apps.

The post explained that Star Crossed Myth was back up and running, though they were unable to get Zyglavis back online. As a result, they’d credited all users $20 worth of stories in the app, and removed him completely - both as a main character in addition to a supporting one.

The post went on to say that they would be looking into doing the same with Kissed by the Baddest Bidder, Era of Samurai: Code of Love, Her Love in the Force, and Metro PD: Close to You. It apologized again for any inconvenience and noted that should the stories remain offline users would be credited in full (plus additional) as an apology.

“I don’t understand this,” Leon finally said, completely void of his usual bravado. “But you need to return. You need to figure out how to get these working again.”

Zyg managed to convince Leon to give us time alone to talk everything over.

I’d hoped that Leon would be returning to his world for the night, but instead I learned that he was staying nearby at a hotel. The king had made it clear that he was not to return empty handed, and not wanting to disobey the king, he grabbed the key card off our foyer table and let us know that he’d allow us one last night together in order to make the proper arrangements before returning with him tomorrow.

After he’d left, I couldn’t help but start crying seeing as how I couldn’t fathom a scenario in which we got out of having to go back with Leon. My life with Zyglavis had been so peaceful and I wasn’t ready for it to end.

It was obvious that Leon was still prepared to use brute force and take us against our will, despite the fact that he now understood the magnitude of the problem. This was not as simple as forcing these men to forget or move on and he now understood that their existence was tied to this world through the games that they inhabited.

Zyglavis held me in his arms and rubbed my back until my sobs quieted, and in a quiet voice admitted that he too was uneasy about the whole thing.

He’d hated seeing me with Hijikata but knew that if we were to return not only would he be forced to know that I was back in the lives of my exes but it was unlikely that the king would allow him to come back to my world and the life that we’d built together (should we even succeed in fixing things).

“I have an idea,” he finally said. “But I feel bad...it involves being a bit underhanded.”

“Zyg…”

“I just don’t see any other way.”

As he outlined his plan to me, I felt sick to my stomach knowing that what we were about to do would put into motion the very thing I’d done my best to avoid. However, the longer we spoke, the harder it was to find another way and before bed we both found ourselves making arrangements to stay home from work in order to properly execute our plan.

From there we went about our usual nightly ritual, but when I came out of the bathroom seeing Zyglavis in his underwear and sleeping shirt sparked something in me that had faded a bit with time.

The idea that the happiness we took for granted was on the brink of being stolen away hurt my heart, and I found myself aggressively kissing Zyglavis, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Naturally he reciprocated, feeling the same way I did, and with our Friday free from work we mustered all of the passion we had for each other late into the night.

Neither of us slept well, unsure as to the ramifications of Zyglavis’ imperfect plan. As promised, Leon buzzed our intercom precisely at 10 A.M. and with a grumpy expression let us know that we’d be returning shortly.

“Wait,” Zyglavis said stoically. “Naomi and I have talked and we do not believe your story.”

“Excuse me?”

“We have both experienced how duplicitous the king is and agree that this is a ruse meant to force me back into my old role as Chief Minister of Punishments.”

“And you say I’m arrogant...”

“I don’t believe that was the Hijikata I knew,” I said, further egging Leon on. “And I don’t believe that Namba, Hiroshi, or Soryu is as stuck on me as you claim. It just feels like another trick.”

“How foolish!” Leon barked, his anger clearly growing by the second.

“It’s not foolish. It’s logical. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.”

I watched Leon closely as Zyglavis’ words further antagonized him. His eyebrow twitched slightly until he finally let out an annoyed sigh.

“Fine! Don’t believe me? Well...see for yourself.”

With that, he summoned Jin Namba, followed by Soryu Oh, Hiroshi Kirisawa, and finally Toshizo Hijikata.

It's important to note that with each snap of his fingers I heard the same odd fizzling sound I'd previously heard and just as we’d planned, my studio apartment was soon full of every ex I'd had (other than Shun, who had managed to move on) in the otome world.

"Leon...do you understand what you’ve just done?" I asked, waiting for him to realize what Zyglavis and I had been banking on.

"Oh, I'm sorry is this awkward for you?" Leon asked sarcastically.

“You really don’t understand a thing, do you?” Zyglavis asked, throwing Leon’s own words back at him with a smirk.

“What are you yammering about?”

“Your powers...can you send them back?"

Zyglavis looked triumphant even though my heart sank as I grappled with what we had done in the name of preserving our own happiness.

Leon scoffed, arrogant as ever, but when he snapped his fingers...nothing happened.

“No! No! This can’t be!”

Zyglavis sighed, and in a quiet voice said, “I’m sorry...I just didn’t see another way.”

“You idiot!” Leon shouted, grabbing Zyglavis by the collar and pushing him up against the wall. “You realize that we’re all stuck here now? That the king told me…”

“Don’t return without them, yes. I know. I’m sorry.”

Leon socked Zyglavis as hard as he could and I ran over to Zyg’s side who rubbed his bruised face.

“I deserve that...but I wasn’t about to lose her which would have happened if we’d returned.”

“If you’d just returned...”

“I couldn’t have fixed this,” I said. “At least with them here they’ll do what they did with Zyg and I hope that order will be restored.”

I brought Zyglavis and Leon ice packs for their injuries (Leon’s hand and Zyglavis’ face). Both were starting to swell and the two men pouted on the couch as my exes were still unconscious from their journey to this world.

Unlike yesterday, as Leon’s powers had begun to weaken, more physical strain had been put on each man.

When Leon had summoned them, they’d arrived unintelligible and woozy before passing out on the spot. At the moment the four men were lying in various places around my apartment, and while they slept Zyglavis and I outlined the plan we’d cooked up last night for Leon.

Considering that Leon had been sent here with a lifetime supply of money, we tasked him with caring for the group until they all got on their feet.

At first he resisted, but ultimately took responsibility for the fact that his carelessness had resulted in them all being trapped in this world.

After much back and forth he agreed to see to it that they were properly cared for and admitted to having more than enough cash in which to do so. I’d come up with a few careers I thought each man might be able to find fulfillment in and had started pulling together information from various job sites.

For Hijikata, he would need to wrap his head around the technological advances in this world, but would require a job that didn’t rely on the tech he’d eventually come to learn.

I’d remembered how lovingly he tended to his cowhide plants and suggested that Leon help him look into a career in landscaping. At the moment there were several openings in the tri-state area, but I thought he’d want to hold off in applying until he’d properly acclimated to his new life here.

Out of all of the men, being from the 1850s gave him the clearest disadvantage, however I had faith that he’d be able to overcome this rather quickly with the help of Leon and the others. I also promised to spend my Saturdays helping him get up to speed as well, figuring that under my tutelage he would be motivated to step up his game.

Hiroshi Kirisawa was a motorcyclist enthusiast, and I’d found a few listings that I thought might help him in his new life as a mechanic.

On top of that, I’d done a marketing job a few years back for a man who built custom motorcycles, and had reached out to him with the hope that Hiroshi might be able to come on as an apprentice of sorts. He’d let me know that my timing was perfect, and that Hiroshi sounded like a great fit for an assistant.

I had no doubt that his positive attitude, and solid leadership skills would result in Hiroshi prospering should he want this new career.

Before leaving otome-ville, I’d heard that Soryu Oh had gotten into crossfit, and seeing him after all this time it was clear that he’d made substantial physical gains as a result.

When I’d known him he’d possessed that perfect otome body, but now he was a specimen to say the least. It would be easy for him to get a job as a personal trainer and crossfit instructor, and having remembered that Meg’s ex before Noah had been a trainer, I’d reached out to him and got Soryu an interview in a few days’ time.

Of the everyone, Namba was the hardest to reinvent, and as a result I’d struggled to figure out what new career might work for him.

With that said, from his otome route I’d remembered that he was amazing with the elderly. His maturity, patience, and respect for his elders made him a great fit for a career in elder care.

I’d found a few classes online that he’d need to take before he was able to work at a nursing home or an assisted living community, but I had faith that he’d be excited to take it on seeing as how he loved to help others.

“I have to say Goldfish...I underestimated you,” Leon finally admitted quietly.

“How so?”

“Truthfully, I thought you were one of those women who just chased attention...but now I see that you’re different. You really cared about each of them, didn’t you?”

Zyglavis pursed his lips, expressing his displeasure to the room but I still had to nod in response to Leon’s question.

For the first time in our history together, Leon offered me a genuinely warm smile and said, “You really are quite lucky Zyglavis.”

Rather than accept the compliment, Zyg glared at him and snapped back, “Stay away from her Leon.”

Leon laughed, “Afraid of a little competition?”

With that, and almost as if it were on cue, the men in the room began to wake up.

Namba was the first to stir.

He groaned slightly, holding his head, and sat up from where he’d been laid out on the floor. I’d place a pillow under his head, and before opening his eyes he’d taken a deep breath. He happened to spot me first, and blinking his eyes with an incredulous look on his face asked, “Little Bird?”

“Long time no see Namba,” I said, kneeling down beside him. “How do you feel?”

“Like hell, which doesn’t make sense seeing as how you’ve still got the face of an angel.”

It was obvious that he was over the moon to see me again, and even though it was clear he was in a fair amount of pain, he couldn’t help but give me a wink and flash me a toothy smile.

“Such a cheeseball.”

“What can I say...I’m an old fart.”

He reached up to touch my cheek, to which Zyglavis pulled me away from him.

As the room began to come into focus, Jin recognized Zyglavis who held me close. Upon realizing who he was, Jin let out a wry chuckle, almost as if he’d been brought back to our night in the hotel room, and he let out a groan as he stood up.

“So...this is your place huh?”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions but we’ll answer what we can once everyone else is awake.”

Hiroshi woke up next, followed by Soryu, and finally Hijikata.

Once the initial shock of seeing me subsided, Leon, Zyg and I did our best to explain the situation to the men. I started by offering my sincerest apologies, before Leon stepped in to explain exactly what had happened.

Just as I’d done with Zyglavis and Leon, I showed the men their apps and watched as they struggled with understanding that their existence had been born from a game in my world. From there Zyglavis shared the theory we’d come up with - that by bringing them here, we’d allowed their existence to be removed from their world, thereby restoring order.

I had expected them to be furious with us, however even though we explained that they might be trapped in this world forever, none of them seemed to care. It was just as Leon said, as they appeared to be too caught up in the fact that their wish to see me again had come true.

I could tell that Zyglavis was actively holding himself back best he could as I spoke with each of them, continuing to apologize profusely for what we’d done.

“Please don’t apologize,” Hiroshi said with a soft expression. “I know you weren’t ready for something serious before, but now that we’re in your world I hope you’ll consider me.”

“I’m just happy that I got the chance to see you again,” Soryu said bashfully. “I’ve completed my anger management program and have cut ties with the Ice Dragons. I’m a new man, and I’m ready to make a new life for myself. I want to win you back.”

“I’m the same way Little Bird - my feelings for you have only grown in the time we’ve been apart. I can’t help but feel that meeting you again is fate, and that I’m the one you’re really meant to be with.”

“If she’s meant to be with anyone it’s me,” Hijikata said with a fierce glare. “I’ve traversed time to be with you. That’s how strong my feelings are…”

“You all have seemed to forgotten the fact that she has already chosen me!” Zyglavis finally barked, his jealousy getting the better of him.

“Enough!” Leon said with an eye roll. “You can all fight over this woman another time. Right now we need to focus on starting your new lives here.”

Leon’s words somehow managed to persuade the group, and within the next few minutes they began to head over to the Air BnB Zyglavis and I had booked for them last night.

It was a large, affordable space in Bushwick which would easily house 5 grown men for the foreseeable future. They each had their own, fully furnished rooms which came with all the necessary amenities required for living and working in this city.

As difficult as the next few weeks (and months) would be for them, I found myself feeling certain that Zyglavis and I had done what was best for both worlds. Now that these men were here, I was positive that the otome-world could move forward, and that five lucky New York women might be able to meet their otome man in shining armor like I had.

Zyglavis and I stood in our studio apartment, which felt silent now that Leon and the others had left.

As I’d expected, he took me in his arms and held me close. I reciprocated his embrace and gave him a squeeze of my own, hoping that the physical gesture would help calm his frazzled nerves.

“I can deal with having four more rivals,” he finally muttered, “but I couldn’t have dealt with losing you.”

“You know we’ll have to help them get settled,” I said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“I know.”

“At some point I’ll probably be alone with each of them again, but I’ll need you to trust me.”

“It’s them I don’t trust.”

“Still…”

Zyglavis pulled back so he could kiss me and as his lips aggressively crashed into mine, I felt all the apprehension and jealousy that he was feeling.

He hadn’t kissed me like that in months - since before we’d arrived in my apartment, and my heart hurt a bit thinking about everything that might come to pass now that these men were loose in my world. There was no telling what the future held, and truthfully, seeing them caused a few old feelings to come rushing back.

While it was clear that Zyglavis was in an emotional state similar to the one he’d been in before I’d made my final decision, doubt was beginning to creep in for me as well.

There were two men specifically whose presence in this world made me question if I’d run away from their affections prematurely, and as much as I loved Zyglavis, the fact that this doubt had even been able to crop up again filled me with worry. I did my best to tuck these feelings away in the recesses of my heart.

In order to make amends for the confusion that threatened to overtake me, I found myself reciprocating Zyglavis’ love just as aggressively. That day I gave myself to the man I’d promised to marry again and again, in the hopes that I would be able to reclaim my conviction in our relationship.

We had both done something unforgivable, and it had been in the name of preserving our life together. In the months and years to come, I would need to do my best not to be rattled by the otome men who were designed to win my affections.

After all, I’d fought like hell to win this game and damn it, I was determined to live happily ever after.

After 50 chapters, our story finally comes to an end.

I hope you’re all satisfied even though I love ending on non-endings seeing as how life is always a bit messy. While this definitely leaves the door open for a sequel, at the moment I have no plans to continue this story.

I want to thank everyone who has been commenting and sharing as the weeks have gone on. It has meant a lot to me to see the positive reaction this story has gotten, and seeing as how I think this will be my first and last fan fiction, I appreciate you guys sticking with me.

I started writing this after I’d hit a wall with my IRL writing and wanted to write something free of stress. I’d forgotten how much fun the process can be and creating this was a great reminder as to why I love writing. I’m ready to return to my original characters and I hope one day my work will have a fandom as awesome as this one.

Thank you guys for reminding me what it means to create for fun. Thank you for reminding me that my words can bring joy to others. If you’ve discovered this story after the fact and it’s made you smile...please don’t hesitate to let me know.

I have no idea where I’ll be when you find it, but hearing that my work has made you happy only encourages me and I hope you’ll consider sending me (or anyone else whose work brought you a joy for that matter) a note letting them know.

Finally, in falling down this rabbit hole I’ve met many talented writers. While creating within this voltage world has been a lot of fun I selfishly hope I see you guys create your own characters and original stories.

There’s a ton of talent in this community and I’d love to see what your original stories look like.

If you’ve enjoyed the story, please show your support by sharing it with a friend or buying me a coffee!

Thanks for reading :)

Naomi’s IRL Apartment

IRL Zyglavis - David Chiang

IRL Leon - Jon Kortajarena

IRL Hijikata - Daisuke Ueda

IRL Soryu - Daniel Liu

IRL Hiroshi - Hideo Muraoka

IRL Namba - Hiroyuki Sanada

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